My Beautiful Graduate!!

This is the 5th year I have had a child attend the Jr./Sr. Banquet at Hobe Sound Christian Academy. I may be a slow learner, but I finally got some good pictures of the attendees before they got on the bus. This is the Senior Class. All the girls were so beautiful in their dresses. Very classy looking too! Yes, that is all the guys in the class. They seem to be out numbered over two to one. They were all so handsome.

Here is Rachel with two of her best friends Juana Mateo and Ashley Irvin. They have all been friends since we moved here to Florida a little over seven years ago. Juana is in the same grade as Rachel and Ashley is a Junior this year. I would have liked to get a close-up picture of them, but they were all so excited and moving around all over the place. Juana and Rachel went to Brazil on a TLC missions trip a couple of years ago and were such a blessing. They both came back changed and on fire for God. This year Ashley and Rachel will be going to the country of Uganda. They will need gobbs of prayer, and so will their mommies. If you think of us this summer please remember the team going to Uganda. They will have to raise tons of money just to go, then will need much protection while there, but God is able and they are so willing.

Rachel, Juana and another good friend Ashley Doxey. Ashley is here from Colorado. What a brave 18 year-old coming all this way here to go to a strange school with all new people her last year in high school!! She is a real joy to be around, loves to have fun just like Rachel. She was trying to get out of going to the banquet because she didn't want to wear a "phoo-phoo" puffy dress. We begged her to consider going. I was even wanting to buy her a dress, but time didn't allow me to get everyone out on a shopping adventure. I was so thrilled to see her at the picture taking event before the bus ride to the banquet. The girls in the dorm really did her up beautiful! Rachel has always wanted to ride in a limo her whole life, and she loves Excersions. Her best friend Juana arranged for them to ride around in an Excursion Stretch limo after the banquet. Wow! was that and expensive little trip for those kids. A bunch of them pooled their money and spent $900 on an all night ride around So. Florida. They met up with some friends who had moved to different schools and all of them had a blast just tutteling around visiting and laughing until 4:00 am. Yes that was $900 and 4:00am!! I must have lost a few brain cells during the last few years, because I didn't even think to worry, and I slept like a baby all night while my little girl and all her friends ran the streets in So. Florida. God is good!

The girls have a tradition at Hobe Sound. They wear their banquet dresses to church the Sunday following the banquet. I was in the nursery so I didn't get to see all of them in their pretty dresses in church, but got to snap off a couple of pictures before lunch. Rachel just had to have one of her riding a motorcycle while in her dress. Check out her handsome driver!!

I just have to brag on my Leah too. This past week was competition week and our school was the host. All the Christian schools in our region came to our little school to compete in all sorts of different venues. Leah did a piano solo, band and a fourth grade ensemble. This is the ensemble waiting for their turn. There is a couple of girls missing because they were finishing up somewhere else

Here they all are singing the winning song Blessed. That is such a beautiful song, and to hear it sung by one of my daughters just about bring tears to my eyes every time.


One more thing then I'll let you go. I found a beautiful song/video on a web site I found. Check it out just under the header for this page.

The Sutherland Crew

I just couldn't resist!!!

I was asked to gather a couple of pictures of Rachel for a presentation the youth department is doing for the graduating seniors. I happen to stumble accross these two pictures of my dear in-laws. A lot of folks know that my husband is quite the comedian, but may not know that all of his

siblings are just as crazy as him.

When their grandmother passed away they had to empty out a storage compartment filled with all of her stuff. We were all tired and hot, but managed to get a couple of laughs in. The first picture is of all the glasses that we found. There was just enough to go around so all the kids had to try them on. :)

Scott really found a treasure with the potty seat and walker. There is just not a dull moment with this crew.

Who Says Girls Can't Climb!!

We have a mall down here that has this floor to ceiling rock climbing tower right in front of Sears. Everytime we go Leah begs me to let her climb. I usually say no because I'm wanting to get in and get out of the mall. This day Leah, Rachel and I were there in the middle of the day so I wasn't rushed. She about jumped out of her skin when I gave her the $5 to go climbing. She got to go up twice. There are three sides to the tower, one easy, one medium hard and one very hard. On the hard one you win $100 if you can make it to the top and ring the bell. She didn't try that one on this trip, but is ready for when we ever go back to that mall.Now this mall is in some what of a lower income area of town so there were quite a few fellows hanging around during the middle of the day. It was quite funny when this little skinny white girl made it all the way up to the top, not just once but twice. The lady at the cash register was busy for some time after we left with all those men trying to out do my little Leah May!!

Not only did she do better than all those strong men, she did it in a long skirt with long hair!!
Ok, so this picture was not supposed to be in this post, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to delete it out of the post. Rachel and I were playing around taking pictures and this is in the same file with Leah's rock climb. So you can see what this old, tired, over-worked postal lady looks like when she gets home from work.